


Red Morning Light

by Chaosandthecalm



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Bodyguard, Forbidden Love, Kenma is a prince, Kissing, M/M, Slow Burn, also black hair!Kenma because I'm weak, and Kuroo is his bodyguard, because who doesn't love cliche tropes am i right?!, mentions of kidnapping but nothing graphic or terrible
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-16 18:10:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7278481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaosandthecalm/pseuds/Chaosandthecalm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Right, yes…there’s a king overseas. He’s looking for a guard for his son.”</p>
<p>Kuroo snorted, leaning on the counter despite its stickiness.</p>
<p>“I’m not really up for babysitting some spoiled prince.” </p>
<p>Kuroo gets sent to a distant land to protect a mysterious prince. There he meets Kenma who keeps to himself and hides his face. Kuroo becomes more and more fascinated by him until he finds himself too deeply entwined in the Prince's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

It was another cloudless night in another nameless town. The moon was high, casting a ghostly glow over the low building with their bowing roofs. It was a fishing town, the smell of the sea blowing through the empty streets. Kuroo walked with his hood pulled over his unruly hair. He followed the whispered directions that he had been given earlier that day while he was gutting fish for a neighbor. She had glanced at his company with a raised eyebrow but ignored them. The man had whispered a name then a location before disappearing into the crowd from where he came. Kuroo had stared after him, knife slack in his grip before finally shrugging and getting back to work.

Finally, he could hear the ruckus that only a bar could bring, the muffled voiced of people already past the point of intoxication. The door was cracked open just slightly, a sliver of warm light beckoning him.

Kuroo ducked through the low doorway of the building and was met with the stench of unwashed men and dirt. His nose wrinkled and he pulled his hood over the bottom part of his face. He tried to make out the faces in the dim room but nobody seemed familiar. The room was small, with several tables pushed around the edges, leaving the middle of the floor open for dancing. He watched a squat woman lead a filthy man onto the floor and pull him close. He turned his eyes away before he could witness any more. 

This wasn’t the type of place he frequented but he was promised a lead for a job and with two coins in his pocket and no place to go he wasn’t about to turn down an opportunity. Finally, Kuroo’s eyes landed on a silver head of hair sitting next to the bar. He wove through the crowd carefully; he wasn’t up for a meaningless fight. When he reached the man sitting at the bar he clapped a hand on his shoulder. Bokuto spun around with wide eyes and then grinned as soon as he saw Kuroo. 

“My brother!” he screeched, jumping from his stool and embracing Kuroo with one arm, hand slapping his back forcefully. His other hand was holding a glass full of murky brown liquid which he managed to spill all over the both of them. 

“I’m sorry…I might be a little intoxicated.” Bokuto slurred in his ear, wiping at Kuroo clumsily. Kuroo waved him off, sitting down on the stool next to him.

“Bo, your messenger said you had a lead for me.” He said, not bothering to make small talk. He didn’t want to waste any more time in this place. Bokuto nodded solemnly, taking a large swig of his drink. 

“Right, yes…there’s a king overseas. He’s looking for a guard for his son.”

Kuroo snorted, leaning on the counter despite its stickiness.

“I’m not really up for babysitting some spoiled prince.” 

Bokuto was already shaking his head, the stool swaying under him dangerously. Kuroo reached out a hand to steady him, amusement in his eyes. 

“Careful, wouldn’t want to crack that genius head open. Akaashi would kill me if I brought you back with a head injury.” 

Bokuto grinned, the same moony look on his face that he always got when someone mentioned his beloved. 

“I’m fine. Listen Kuroo…this is a good job. You get a place to live, plenty of money, three meals a day. Apparently this kid is a complete shut in so you won’t even do much.”

“So why don’t you take it?” Kuroo asked, raising one eyebrow. Bokuto smiled at him over the rim of his glass.

“Not like I can bring my live in lover with me.” 

Kuroo laughed quietly.

“Suppose not. So if I say yes…when would I have to leave.” 

“As early as tomorrow.” Bokuto said, gesturing to the barkeep for another glass of mystery liquid. 

“Who am I to turn down a good opportunity.” Kuroo finally said as Bokuto threw back his glass. He slammed it down on the bar and whooped loudly, causing the patrons to turn to look at them. 

“Good man!” he yelled, slapping a large hand on Kuroo’s back. 

“I should go…get some sleep.” Kuroo wheezed, his back stinging from Bokuto’s hand. 

“Oh hey…” Bokuto grabbed his arm before he could walk away, “meet me at the docks tomorrow. I’ll get you sorted.” 

Kuroo just slapped a hand on his shoulder making him wobble on his stool.

“Make sure you don’t break too many hearts over there.” Bokuto said, his mouth turning up in a smirk. Kuroo shook his head and gave him a wave, turning to walk away. He made his way out of the bar and stepped into the cool night air. 

“A job is a job.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is what I like to call my passion project. Kuroken is my number one OTP honestly and I really wanted to write something epic for them. This will be long and most likely it will take me forever to write but I just need to. It's a need.   
> I actually did research for this! I never do research! Anyway...I hope at least one person enjoys this as much as I am :)


	2. Chapter 2

The morning came with a gray sky and a misty rain that made him want to stay in bed. Kuroo pulled his scarf over his mouth. The air was cold and bleak and as he looked at the clouds for any sign of sun it was clear that it would stay like this all day. He sighed and kept walking. He needed this. Needed to get out of this damn town. And he definitely needed to make some money. 

“Oi!” 

He looked up to see Bokuto standing on the dock, hands on his hips and huge smile on his face. Kuroo shook his head and walked over. It figured that Bokuto would be falling down drunk one second and a ball of energy the next. 

“You’re a monster.” Kuroo mumbled as Bokuto gripped both of his shoulders in greeting. 

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” he said, face way too close, gold eyes searching Kuroo’s face. 

“Good morning.”

Kuroo turned at the soft voice and felt his breath catch for a second. No matter how many times he saw Akaashi Keiji he was still taken away by how beautiful he was. He was also extremely confused as to how Bokuto managed to get him.

“Seriously Bo…how?” he mumbled after greeting Akaashi. Bokuto just looked back at his lover and smiled warmly. 

“Beats me.” 

Kuroo laughed and let Bokuto drag him to the side of dock. The water looked black and murky under the dark sky and Kuroo once again debated just going back to his rented room and getting into bed. Bokuto was looking at him, one side of his mouth turned up like it always was. 

“This will be good.” He said as if he could read Kuroo’s thoughts. His strong hand was still gripping Kuroo’s shoulder, shaking him just slightly. 

“Where am I going exactly?” Kuroo asked. He realized then that he should have asked that before accepting the job. It seemed like something that he should know. The sound of ‘anywhere but here’ was just too good to resist.

“It’ll take a week to get there.” Bokuto said, still grinning like it was the most wonderful thing he had ever said. Kuroo felt his eyes widen and he pulled away from Bokuto’s grasp.

“A week?!”

“Look on the bright side my friend.” Bokuto was entirely too close again, “you’ll be far away from here.”

“I’m starting to feel like you just want to get rid of me.” He mumbled, shifting the bag that was hanging from his shoulder. His meager belongings seemed like nothing now. Bokuto just laughed, uninhibited and loud. People on the dock turned to look, their gray faces lined with disdain. It was entirely too early and too bleak to be that cheerful. Kuroo felt the furrow between his eyebrows as he looked at Bokuto. 

“Kuroo…this is a good thing.” He said, pulling Kuroo close enough to rest their foreheads together. Kuroo was very aware of Akaashi watching them, but when he pulled away and turned to glance at him Akaashi was just smiling softly.

“You’re too good for him.” Kuroo mumbled, shaking his head and pushing Bokuto away.

“Yes.” Was Akaashi’s simple answer and for the first time that day Kuroo laughed.

~~

The boat wasn’t very large but it seemed well-made; sturdy. A week long timeline seemed less terrifying as Kuroo stepped on deck. Bokuto had talked to the captain for a long while. The conversation involved laughter and a lot of back slapping. Kuroo wondered how the captain wasn’t bent over in pain when he finally bid Bokuto farewell and climbed on board.

“He’s quite something.” The captain said, smiling at Kuroo.

“That he is.” 

A hand was extended along with an introduction. Captain Ukai had been sailing the same route for almost ten years and his grandfather had done so before him. When Kuroo asked about their destination all he got in response was a dreamy, far off look and a contented sigh.

“You’re a lucky man.” Was all Ukai said before giving him a final nod and turning to the crew. Kuroo looked down toward the dock and gave Bokuto and Akaashi a small wave. Bokuto waved back enthusiastically and Akaashi raised a hand, soft and demure, just like him. Kuroo felt a warmth spread through him at the sight. It was rare that he made an acquaintance in his travels, and even more rare that he was sad when he left them behind. This time as he watched Bokuto’s arm drape across Akaashi’s shoulders he felt a pang of loneliness in his gut. It hit hard and deep and for a second it was almost crippling. 

“Looks like we’re finally off.” Someone said behind him and Kuroo gave a small nod of acknowledgment. The boat pulled away from the dock slowly and Kuroo stayed where he was, watching the dock get smaller and smaller until he couldn’t make out the shapes of the people on it any longer. He could hear movement behind him, the crew running up and down the wooden deck, the other passengers arranging their things. 

“You should figure out where you want to sleep.” someone said right next to him and Kuroo turned. The man was young, around Kuroo’s age. He was significantly shorter, with mousy brown hair and big chocolate eyes. In his hands was a small brown bag that seemed to be mostly empty. Kuroo shifted his own bag on his shoulder. 

“Right…thank you.” 

A hand was thrust out at him, strong and sure. Kuroo blinked down at it before shaking.

“Yaku.” He said simply. He didn’t offer up his full name and Kuroo didn’t ask. 

“Kuroo.” 

They stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the town get smaller until all they could see was the vast expense of the ocean. 

“Running away?” Yaku asked, breaking the silence. Kuroo smiled, leaning forward slightly. 

“Mostly. I actually have a job lined up.”

“Ah…sounds familiar.” He said with a small smile. Kuroo didn’t press further. They stood in comfortable silence, watching the waves crashing against the side of the ship.

“We’ll end up sleeping next to the waste if we stand around for much longer.” Yaku finally said, standing up straight. Kuroo hummed in acknowledgement, following his new acquaintance. He wasn’t much for forming bonds, especially in such temporary situations. But a week was a long time and that loneliness was still simmering just under the surface. If nothing else he would at least have someone to talk to.

“What’s the job?” Yaku asked casually after they had found a relatively quiet spot next to the barrels of fresh water. 

“Guard, I suppose.”

“You suppose?”

Kuroo shrugged, flopping down on the desk, his back already protesting at the hardness of the wood. 

“Not entirely sure what it entails.”

“Who are you meant to be guarding?”

Kuroo stayed quiet for a moment, wondered if there was any harm in telling someone. Yaku didn’t seem bothered by his lack of answer, just spread out on the floor next to him, their shoulders pressing together. Kuroo glanced over at the casual closeness, wondered if there was an ulterior motive behind it. Yaku’s eyes were closed and his hands were resting on his stomach. He seemed at ease.

“It’s a prince.” Kuroo finally said. Yaku glanced at him, eyes half lidded.

“Hm…the shut in?”

Kuroo shrugged one shoulder, looking out over the other people on board. Everyone it seemed was headed there for work. It was all young men, Kuroo’s age or younger. They milled around, some self-consciously, others with their chests puffed out territorially. Kuroo felt the urge to roll his eyes. 

“From what I’ve heard. Doesn’t sound like a terrible way to make money.”

“You got that right.” 

“What about you?” For once he was genuinely curious. Yaku didn’t seem like the physical labor type. He was slight. Kuroo glanced at his hands to find them soft looking and almost delicate. 

“I’m a teacher. Well…a tutor of sorts. There’s a school over there that needs help.” 

Kuroo looked at the soft brown bag that Yaku had with him. 

“Books?” he asked, one corner of his mouth lifting. Yaku gave him a withering look.

“Don’t be smart. Teachers don’t make very much in case you were wondering. These are all of my belongings.” He said, nudging the bag with disdain. Kuroo looked at his own bag, torn and gray with dust; it only contained clothing and a journal that he had stolen from a woman after spending the night with her. Sometimes he would feel guilty about it but other times it was his only escape from his own thoughts. He was grateful for it. 

“No shame in that.” Kuroo mumbled, his eyes closing against the light of the sun. It had finally broken through the clouds. Kuroo felt the warmth spreading through him and he felt the sleep that he hadn’t managed to get creeping up. 

~~

Kuroo woke to the sound of cheery laughter and clinking silverware. He cracked his eyes open, the salty air making them feel grainy. There were lanterns placed along the deck, sending shadows dancing around him in the setting sunlight. He sat up slowly, his muscles aching from sleeping in one position, and on solid wood at that. 

Kuroo heard a groan next to him and turned to see Yaku, curled on his side and still mostly asleep. He smiled despite himself and reached a hand out to jostle the others shoulder. Yaku slapped at him, groggy. Kuroo laughted and pushed his shoulder harder. Finally Yaku’s eyes blinked open and he looked up at Kuroo with a confused frown. 

“Oh…right.” He finally mumbled, voice rumbling with sleep. It was odd coming from someone who looked like a child. 

“Is there food?” Yaku mumbled, sitting up and rubbing a hand over his face. Kuroo gestured to the others, sitting around and passing plates of bread, cheese and fish. 

“Looks like.” 

They stood and made their way over, hands thrusting plates at them without question. Kuroo filled his up and went to a barrel to scoop some water into a shallow wooden cup before heading to his spot, Yaku close behind. 

“I feel like I’ve been trampled.” Yaku grumbled, sitting down heavily next to Kuroo. He hummed in agreement, the ache in his back a constant reminder of his nap. 

“So…” Yaku started, his mouth full of bread. “Did you leave anyone behind?”

Kuroo let the question hang in the silence between them for a long moment.

“If I had, do you really think I would be here?” 

Yaku shrugged, tearing another chunk of bread off with his teeth.

“Some leave because it's the only way to support their family. You seem old enough to have a kid or two.” 

Kuroo snorted, “You calling me old?”

“You’re not bad looking and you seem older than me.” Yaku said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. 

“Well I don’t. Have kids I mean. Or anyone for that matter.” He hadn’t meant for it to come out that way and the moment he said it he could already feel Yaku’s eyes on his face. He sighed, prepared for the pitying looks.

“Me neither.”

Kuroo looked over at him at that. Yaku was watching the other men, laughing and yelling over each other. He saw that same loneliness flash over Yaku’s face and he felt a tug of sympathy. He knew that ache more than anyone. Had found himself in bed after bed trying to silence it. 

“Makes it easier doesn’t it. Escaping.” 

There was another silence then Yaku finally looked over him, his mouth pulled up into a soft smile. 

“Yeah. I suppose you’re right.” 

~~

The night wound down, the lanterns going out, one after the other. The men settled into their own spaces, on pallets made from ropes and their own belongings. Kuroo laid back against his bag, his eyes on the sky above him. Yaku sat a few feet away, reading. He had pulled a book out of his bag with a withering look at Kuroo who had just laughed. He could hear the murmurs of late night conversations over the sound of the waves crashing against the sides of the ship. He envied the men who forged friendships so easily. The tug in his heart was still there, painful and insistent. 

Kuroo placed a hand over his chest, felt his own heartbeat, steady and sure. With that he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

~~

The rest of the journey passed by with much of the same. Breakfast was a quiet affair, everyone still rubbing sleep from their eyes. Dinner was always rowdy. On the third day Captain Ukai had rolled out a barrel of ale. Kuroo had watched, amused, as the men slowly got louder and louder. The night ended with a few songs, sung loudly and terribly off key. Yaku had decided to indulge, sitting on the edge of the circle, cup held close to his chest. At one point another man had wobbled over to him, sitting down heavily. Kuroo had watched as Yaku looked at the man with an expression of fascinated contempt. When he finally managed to get away Kuroo grinned at him as he settled down.

“Made a friend?”

“He’s insufferable.” Yaku mumbled, turning away. 

“He seems to like you.” Kuroo said, poking Yaku’s back playfully. The man in questions was still sitting in the same spot, looking dreamily at where Yaku was stubbornly pretending to be asleep. 

“He can go drown for all I care.”

Kuroo laughed, leaning back and falling asleep to the sound of more terrible singing. 

~~

Kuroo found out that the other man’s name was Lev. He had come over when Yaku wasn’t around, bowing at Kuroo before asking if him and Yaku were ‘involved.” 

“What do you mean?” Kuroo had asked, blinking at the other innocently. Lev’s cheeks had reddened but his face was still split in a huge smile. 

“Well he’s…quite something. You know? But if he’s spoken for I wouldn’t…. want to get between you and him.” 

Kuroo raised an eyebrow and thought of the grumpy frown he got every time he mentioned Lev. On the other hand, they had been stuck on this boat for days and entertainment was rare.

“He’s all yours.” He finally said, clapping Lev on the shoulder (which was easier said than done since the other man appeared to be ten feet tall). The beaming smile he got in return was almost worth the smack he got later after telling Yaku about the encounter.

“It’s not like you’ll ever see him again after we get off this ship!” he protested, rubbing the back of his head. 

“He’s going to be impossible now!” 

“So you don’t think he’s attractive?” Kuroo asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“That’s not…that’s not important.” Yaku grumbled, sitting back against the barrels and crossing his arms. Kuroo’s eyes widened and he could feel himself smiling. 

“You should give him a chance.” He said, sitting next to Yaku and nudging his shoulder gently. Yaku just huffed, turning his face away, but not before Kuroo saw the slight flush of his cheeks. He could see Lev across the deck, looking over at them nervously. Kuroo raised a hand in a wave and Yaku glared at him.

“Don’t encourage him.” 

“What’s so wrong with him?”

Yaku just sank down lower, his arms coming to wrap around his knees.

“Just leave it alone.” He mumbled. 

Kuroo sighed, watching as Lev turned away from them, dejected. 

“Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy moly this is taking me forever to write. I promised myself not to post chapters that are shorter than 5000 words but if I do that then it'll take months in between chapters. If anyone is reading this thank you! It's my passion project and I love it so much. It's very nerve wracking sharing it. I appreciate every single person who reads, likes and comments! More than I could ever say!


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